Utilization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) for enhancing growth and development as well as production of essential oil in aromatic plants has been increasingly drawing research interest. In order to assess the AMF effects on different aromatic species, an open-field experiment was carried out using Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon), Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) and Hyssopus officinalis (hyssop). AMF stimulated the growth of tarragon and lavender plants, whereas hyssop showed a slight developmental slowing; nonetheless, a significant increase in essential oil content in the three species was seen. AMF application increased the biomass of A. dracunculus and H. officinalis by 20-35%. No differences in antioxidant activity and phenolics content were recorded at harvest between the control and AMF-inoculated plants, but the latter showed a significant increase in antioxidant status upon storage at high temperature and humidity compared to the untreated control. The enhancement of abiotic stress resistance during storage in plants inoculated with AMF was the highest in A. dracunculus, and the lowest in H. officinalis, while the untreated control plants showed a significant decrease in phenolics, ascorbic acid and chlorophyll content, as well as antioxidant activity, upon the abiotic stress. AMF inoculation differentially affected the mineral composition, increasing the accumulation of Se, I and Zn in A. dracunculus, and decreasing the levels of heavy metals and Co, Fe, Li, Mn in H. officinalis. Based on the outcome of the present research, AMF inoculation resulted in a significant enhancement of the overall performances of A. dracunculus, L. angustifolia and H. officinalis, and also in the improvement of plant antioxidant status upon storage in stress conditions.

Yield, Essential Oil and Quality Performances of Artemisia dracunculus, Hyssopus officinalis and Lavandula angustifolia as Affected by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi under Organic Management.

In the present work, the shrub W. somnifera was used as a source for the extraction of bioactive molecules. Leaves were extracted by ethanol and analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). By GC-MS analysis, the highest identified compounds were 2,6-dimethyl-N-(2-methyl-α-phenylbenzyl)aniline, 4-Aminoheptane, n-undecanophenone, 2-cyclohexyl-4-hydroxymethyl-octahydrobenzo[e][1,2] oxazine-3-carbonitrile, and octadecanoic acid 3-octadecyloxypropyl ester, with percentages of 19.43%, 7.51%, 4.47%, 4.34%, and 3.89%, respectively. HPLC analysis identified quercetin and 7-hydroxyflavone with concentrations of 12.36 and 15.14 mg/mL, respectively, as two flavonoid compounds. This work showed that W. somnifera leaf extract owns several bioactive compounds that could be useful and have different applications, such as antimicrobial activities.

GC-MS and HPLC Analyses of Phytochemical Compounds from Withania somnifera L. Leaves Extract

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal is popular in the traditional medicine of many areas of the world due to its high biological activity. Research was carried out in order to characterize the plants of this species in terms of antioxidant content and activity, as well as macroand microelements concentration in leaves and roots plants grown along Crimea sea coast, which receive an intensive element transfer from the sea surface. The leaves of Withania somnifera showed higher levels of polyphenols, flavonoids and total antioxidant activity compared to roots (7.52 mg eq. GA g d.w., 2.30 mg eq. quercetin g d.w. and 38.2 mg eq. GA g d.w. in leaves; 3.83 mg eq. GA g d.w; 0.48 mg eq. quercetin g d.w. and 10.8 mg eq. GA g d.w. in the roots). Withanolides content in roots reached 0.62 %. The determination of 25 macroand microelements revealed that Withania somnifera intensively accumulated Ca, K, Mg, P, B, I, Li, Mn, Mo, Si and Zn in leaves, whereas the concentration of V, Cr, Fe and Al in roots exceeded those recorded in leaves by 5.5, 5.86, 4.35 and 5.26 times respectively. The highest difference between leaves and roots concentration was detected for Li whose content in leaves was 10 times higher than in roots. Among other cultivated herbs (14 species belonging to Artemisia and Myrthus), Withania somnifera showed the highest levels of Li which makes it suppose this species is a good Li source for humans. Moreover, the leaves of W. somnifera contain high levels of iodine.

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Ann Molchanova

Papers

Antioxidant properties and elemental composition of withania somnifera l.